Chicago City Wire

U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D-Cicero) has distanced himself from the House Progressive Caucus' letter to President Biden on Ukraine after criticism from fellow Democrats in Washington.

Garcia disassociated himself from the letter that urged President Joe Biden to “engage in direct talks with Russia” to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

“I joined this letter four months ago,” Garcia admitted. “The letter had been written to reflect the situation at that time. Some of that information is now outdated and the letter should not have been sent.”

Garcia though, reiterated his support for Ukraine. 

“However, I want to be clear: The letter’s underlying message remains pertinent. I strongly support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s illegal invasion," Garcia said. "And I strongly believe that diplomacy should continue to be a powerful tool in our foreign policy arsenal.”

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the letter sparked such outrage that its author, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the House Progressive Caucus, withdrew it. Illinois Rep. Marie Newman, who lost her primary to Sean Casten in June, also signed the letter. 

"We urge you to make vigorous diplomatic efforts in support of a negotiated settlement and cease-fire, engage in direct talks with Russia, explore prospects for a new European security arrangement acceptable to all parties that will allow for a sovereign and independent Ukraine, and, in coordination with our Ukrainian partners, seek a rapid end to the conflict and reiterate this goal as America’s chief priority," the letter reads.

Rep. Mike Quigley, (D-Il), with his co-chairs of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, (D-OH) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), issued a statement saying that Ukraine negotiates for itself, not the U.S. Many Democrats were upset over the letter because it strayed from Biden's stance and because it could be conflated with the Republican stance on Ukraine. The letter was written several months ago, but it was disseminated by staff without being vetted. As Caucus Chair Jayapal said, "I assume responsibility for this."

"The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine," Jayapal said in a statement. "The proximity of these statements created the unfortunate appearance that Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic, and economic assistance to the Ukrainian people, are somehow aligned with Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces."

The statement, which referred to the letter as a "distraction at this time," ended by saying that the war needs to end with diplomacy, and it explained that it has been conflated with GOP opposition to funding Ukraine.

Congressman Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) was outraged by the letter and said that the "letter is an olive branch to a war criminal who’s losing his war. Ukraine is on the march. Congress should be standing firmly behind Joe Biden's effective strategy, including tighter - not weaker! - sanctions." This comes as the Progressive Caucus has faced backlash from other Democrats who see this letter as more aligned with Republican policy rather than Democratic policy.

Garcia is facing Republican challenger James Falakos in the general election to represent the Fourth Congressional District. According to Ballotpedia, Falakos says he is running as a Republican but is independent at heart. He comes from a family of small business owners and currently owns an HVAC company. 

His top campaign issues are stopping inflation, growing small businesses, and energy independence. To fight inflation, he supports cutting taxes, decreasing the size of the government, increasing domestic manufacturing, and launching a full forensic audit of the Federal Reserve. He also supports common sense economic policies that would help small businesses, like cutting the payroll tax and increasing tax write-offs. On energy, Falakos supports building new nuclear power plants and investing in hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Illinois 4th Congressional District includes Franklin Park, Brookfield and Cicero.